U.S. Central Command said the attacks were launched to "impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping."Iran's Revolutionary Guards said it targeted U.S. military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait on July 8 after the United States launched new strikes against Iran in retaliation for attacks on three vessels in the Strait of Hormuz that American officials described as a ceasefire violation.The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it carried out a joint missile and drone operation against key U.S. military sites in Bandar Salman, Bahrain's Fifth Naval District, and Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, and shot down a U.S. MQ9 drone attempting to interfere with the operation, Reuters reported. The operation came after U.S. Central Command said strikes were launched against Iran to "impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway.""Iran’s demonstrated aggression was unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire," CENTCOM said.The United States also revoked a license for Iran to sell oil in response to the attacks on the commercial vessels, which Iran has not taken responsibility for.The ongoing conflict around the strait and escalating U.S. response underscored the tenuous status of peace negotiations. U.S. and Iranian officials signed a preliminary peace agreement last month to end a war that began on Feb. 28. The memorandum of understanding called for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and launched further negotiations on Iran's nuclear program and U.S. sanctions.Iran's parliament speaker: 'The era of bullying and extortion is over'Iran's top joint military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, condemned the U.S. strikes as a "blatant act of aggression," threatened a "crushing response," and warned that Tehran would not allow U.S. interference in the management of the strait.A top Iranian negotiator, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, accused the U.S. of breaching the ceasefire agreement. He cited not only the latest U.S. military strikes but also renewed oil sanctions, violations of Iranian "adjustments" in the Strait of Hormuz, and Israeli attacks against Lebanon."The era of bullying and extortion is over," Qalibaf said in a post on X. "We don't fold."Latest military strikes on IranThe United States also issued a waiver for Iran to sell oil on the global market as part of the MOU, a major concession that briefly offered the country an economic lifeline before it was revoked July 7.The peace deal began showing signs of strain soon after it was finalized. There have been multiple rounds of U.S. military strikes on Iran since the MOU was signed, all in response to attacks on ships in the strait. The waterway is a key shipping route that carried about 20% of the world's oil before the war.U.S. strikes on June 26 and June 27 targeted Iranian military infrastructure, including air defense and drone storage sites. CENTCOM did not provide details on the targets of the July 7 strikes.President Donald Trump warned Iran after last month's strikes about continuing to violate the ceasefire, which has been in place since April."There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started," Trump said on Truth Social on June 27. "If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!"Economic and military actions against IranThe tensions have threatened to unravel peace talks, which proceeded last week despite the previous rounds of tit-for-tat strikes. The two sides conducted indirect negotiations through mediators in Doha, Qatar.Trump told reporters that negotiators "had very good meetings."But as the war continues to simmer, the Trump administration is taking a firmer approach in combining economic and military actions against Tehran. The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil rose to nearly $76 after the administration revoked Iran's oil license, a nearly 6% increase.Contributing: Joey Garrison, Bart Jansen, and Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY; Reuters